Floral Confessions
by poke-a-spark
Summary: Sumire is having a hard time expressing herself with words, but maybe she doesn't have to. "Did you know, Sumire, that flowers have their own language?" Lucia/Sumire. Oneshot.


**Warning: Contains shoujo ai. Read at own risk.**

**A/N:** Still haven't finished the anime (I sit down to watch it and get to the 5th episode before I'm interrupted. Of course, when I'm free I have to start at the beginning again :P) I have started the manga though. This popped into my mind when I watched episode 4 for the 6th time. I don't know how you'd classify this story… pre-fluff?

Summary: Sumire can't express herself with words, but maybe she doesn't have to. "Did you know, Sumire, that flowers have their own language?" Lucia/Sumire

Disclaimer: I do not own Venus Versus Virus, nor am I making a profit from this story.

**Floral Confessions**

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"That'll be ten dollars in change. Here's your receipt; have a nice day."

"Thank you."

Sumire watched as Yoshiki tucked the thick blue book into his messenger bag and put the receipt and ten dollar bill into his wallet. Setting the manga she had been absently leafing through back on the shelf, she followed him out the store and into the street. Wrapping her scarf more snuggly around her neck, she picked up her pace until they were walking side by side.

"Did you get the one you wanted?" Sumire questioned distractedly as she gazed up at the foreboding sky. It was still about an hour away from sunset, yet the sky was muted; dark clouds having eclipsed the once light sky while they were in the bookstore.

"Yes," Yoshiki replied excitedly, his eyes bright in anticipation. "I can't wait to start reading it. The last time I came they were out of stock. Thanks for coming with me; I know we usually hang out at the park."

"Hey, it's fine," Sumire assured him quickly. "No big deal. I mean, you've wanted to read it for a while, right? The fourth one in the series?"

Yoshiki laughed embarrassingly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been talking about it a lot, huh? Sorry about that. I didn't mean to monopolize our conversations this past week."

"Oh, no!" Sumire shook her head and grinned. "It's fine! Really…" A colorful display to her left caught her attention as they stopped at the crosswalk. Her words trailing off, she moved a bit closer and peeked inside the window.

"Still," Yoshiki said, frowning slightly. "It was rude of me. To compensate, let's talk about you. Anything new happen recently?"

"It's fine," Sumire answered distractedly, shuffling closer to the window and squinting slightly.

"What?" Turning in confusion, Yoshiki went to stand next to Sumire. "Oh, a flower shop. Do you need anything here?"

"I might…" Sumire mumbled to herself, inching towards the door. "Maybe I'll… just for a second…."

Making up her mind, Sumire gripped the chipped door handle and walked into the store, a faint chime announcing her presence. Scanning the selection quickly, she disregarded the colorful carnations on display by the door and gravitated towards the roses at the back. Smiling in delight, Sumire brushed her hand against the tips of the flowers, amazed at their large selection this late in the season.

"Roses, huh?" Yoshiki spoke as he picked up a pink rose to smell. "These are nice, and in pretty good shape."

"Yeah," Sumire played with the stem of a red rose before putting it back and walking towards the white ones. "They must be fresh."

"Hey, I was wondering," Yoshiki watched as she picked up a few white roses and stared at them contemplatively. "I've seen you walking around with roses before. Once a week, now that I think about it. Is it some kind of tradition?"

"Ah," Sumire's cheeks colored slightly. "I-I, I get them for a-uh, friend. Lucia. As a thanks."

"Your boss?" Yoshiki asked curiously. "The one who acts distant?"

"Mm. I know I complained that she was cold, but she can be kind and caring too, in her own way. And I'm not really sure if she cares about me more than just an employee, but she- I just," Sumire bit her lip as she fiddled with the roses in her hand, unable to stop talking now that the floodgates were open. "I want to thank her, you know? Because she really got me out of a tight spot, and keeps me around even though I'm pretty useless. I just, I don't feel that words are adequate for what I want to say. She helps me a lot; I mean she's always there. She's…" Sumire voice trailed off into a whisper. The discolored leaf lying crumpled on the floor could have been the most interesting thing in the universe with how hard she was staring at it. "She's always there."

Head bowed, Sumire missed the look of comprehension that flashed across Yoshiki's face. "I see," Yoshiki smiled at his younger friend. Plucking the flowers out of her hands, he returned them to their spot. "Did you know, Sumire, that flowers have their own language? That the colors, and even numbers, of the flowers you choose to give to someone all say something different?"

Sumire watched in confusion as Yoshiki began searching through the bucket of roses, holding onto the healthier looking ones and discarding those with missing petals. "For example," Yoshiki continued as he gestured to the red roses. "Probably the most popular, red roses symbolise romantic love and enduring passion, among other things. These white roses, however, tell a slightly different story. Symbolising purity, loyalty, truth and young love, a bouquet of these roses would say something along the lines of 'I am worthy of your love.'"

Yoshiki continued adding roses to the small bouquet in his hand while Sumire listened curiously to the rest his impromptu lesson. "And don't forget, besides the different colors, the number of roses in a bouquet can be just as important. It can mean the difference between admitting to a crush and stating you'll be together forever. Especially not something to forget when you're aiming to apologize to someone." Slightly confused as to what he was getting at, she was startled when he suddenly straightened up and offered the roses to her.

"This is what you want to say to her, right? Something along these lines?" Yoshiki grinned as she stared at the two separate bouquets in her hand.

Thinking back to their meanings, Sumire's eyes slowly widened as a blush formed on her face. "I-I don't," Sumire stared at the different colored flowers. "I mean, it's not…"

"Are you sure?" Yoshiki patted her shoulder comfortingly as he took in her lost expression.

"Is it?" Sumire mumbled quietly to the roses. _I don't like viruses. I hate them for ruining my life. They're scary and evil and I'm terrified of them. I wish I had never found that brooch, that I had never begun seeing them. But even then… If I hadn't become such a monster magnet, I wouldn't have met Lucia and the others. Though they scare the life out of me, I feel safe and protected when Lucia's there. And she always is. _

_Lucia…_

_I'm such a burden on her. I'm always late to work at the shop, I frighten easily, and nine times out of ten I miss the target when using my gun. I'm inexperienced and clumsy, and have no control over my berserker form. She scolds me and criticizes me, and yet…_

_I… I would miss her if I were forced to leave. If I were suddenly cured of my vision. Does that make me a masochist? I-I don't think so…_

_And then, sometimes, I get a glimpse of the real Lucia, the Lucia buried under the many layers of cool composure and indifference. Concern for my health when I'm running a fever, compassion when I realized my old life was over… A whiff of roses and a small smile as I return to normal just seconds before striking her down as berserker…_

_Before, I would have jumped at the chance for normality, having linked it with happiness in my mind. Now, though… I'm happy I get to be with Lucia, and I think, if it came down to it, I'd pick being with Lucia over being normal._

Sumire thoughtfully stroked one of the rose stems in her hand, once again thinking of their meaning. _Could it be that I…? Maybe…?_

"What if she, I mean I'm not saying that it is, but, what if she doesn't understand?" Sumire questioned quietly.

Yoshiki smiled gently at the quiet girl. "As long as you understand what you're saying, it's worth it."

"I…" Sumire wavered slightly_. Is it just my imagination? Or… have I really been that blind to my own feelings…_ "Alright. Let's go."

Sumire began following Yoshiki to the cash register before hesitating. Scanning the display, she grabbed a few more roses. _Maybe just this once …_

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"I'm back."

Sumire called into the shop, causing Lucia to look up from the new dresses she was hanging up on display. "You're late."

"Ah-hahaha…"Sumire laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head absentmindedly. Hanging her head, she apologized guiltily. "I'm sorry."

"I apologize," Yoshiki bowed slightly from the doorway, causing both heads to turn his way. "It's my fault Sumire is late; I asked her to accompany me on an errand. Again, I apologize." Turning to Sumire he smiled. "Thanks again for coming with me. I better head home."

"Oh!" Sumire's exclamation caught the attention of both Yoshiki and Lucia. Running up to Yoshiki, she pulled one of the yellow roses from the bouquet and handed it to him "Friendship, right?"

"Good luck," Yoshiki winked as he exited the shop.

Becoming aware Lucia's stare and the fact that she still held a bundle of roses in her hand, Sumire cleared her throat, cheeks tinged pink. "I'll just-um…" Sumire inched towards the door before changing her mind and rushing downstairs, her voice faintly carrying back up to Lucia. "I'll go get changed."

Rifling through the cupboards in the kitchen, Sumire let out a noise of satisfaction as she found a few small vases. Filling the up with water, she went about placing the two smaller ones before heading to her and Lucia's shared room. Walking up to the nightstand between the two beds, she set the vases down and unwrapped the rest of the roses.

"Sumire."

Lucia's voice startled Sumire, causing her to fumble with one of the roses and drop it. Glancing behind her as she picked it up, she spied Lucia leaning casually against the door, arms folded in front of her. "I'm sorry. I'll get changed and be upstairs in a minute."

"That's fine." Lucia studied the younger woman for a moment, silence descending on the pair. Opening her mouth, Lucia started to say something before hesitating. Debating with herself, she finally came out and asked the question that had been on her mind for a while. "Sumire, why do you keep buying me flowers?"

"Oh," Sumire bit her lip. "It's..." Keeping her back to Lucia, a small smile crept onto her lips even as her cheeks darkened. Separating the two bouquets, she tied them both off with a ribbon before setting them in their individual vases, both situated closer to Lucia's bed than her own. "It's my way of saying thank you. You've done so much for me…"

"You don't have to keep getting me flowers or keep saying thanks," Lucia stated, eyeing the younger girl.

"No. I do," Sumire stated confidently, cutting the older girl off. Face coloring a bit more in embarrassment, she quickly picked up her uniform and rushed past Lucia. "I'll go get changed."

Left alone in the room, Lucia straightened up and lightly stepped up to the flowers. Running her hands over the soft petals, she picked up one of the vases. Raising it to her nose, she inhaled the sweet fragrance, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Gratitude, appreciation, happiness, joy…" Startled, Lucia turned her head slightly to see Lola standing in the spot she had occupied earlier. "Innocence, enchanting… Someone sat that girl down and schooled her in the art of flowers."

"Lola?" Lucia raised her brow questioningly.

"I've got to hand it to her, it was very Sumire; saying everything without saying anything at all." Lola snapped a piece off of her chocolate bar, eyes trained on the girl in front of her. After all, she couldn't very well let Sumire's brief burst of daring be for naught.

"What are you talking about; Sumire always gets me roses." Lucia turned her back on Lola again and replaced the vase, inspecting the other one instead.

"Well, yes, but those are usually one bouquet of white roses, not two small bouquets of mixed roses, right?" Studying the blue haired girl, Lola was slightly exasperated at her lack of comprehension.

"Your point, Lola?" Lucia asked, not getting what the blonde was trying to say and slightly annoyed at her vague statements.

"Did you know she gave us some roses too this time? Nothing as extravagant as your bouquets; just two roses each." Changing tactics, Lola went on to explain. "Rather obvious what their meanings were, really; friendship and gratitude."

"Meanings?" Curious, Lucia studied the roses in front of her.

"Of course, those were what ours said. Yours, on the other hand, are a different story." Lola smirked, practically feeling the curiosity emanating off of Lucia. _Hook, line, and sinker_. "Let's start with the first bouquet, for example. Six pink roses; three pale pink ones and three dark pink ones. The pale pink ones symbolise grace, gentleness, admiration, happiness, and joy, while the dark pink ones represent gratitude, appreciation, and thankfulness. This bouquet screams 'I'm grateful for all you've done, and I admire you. You make me happy.'"

Opening and closing her mouth, Lucia could feel her face heating up slightly as Lola continued. "The other bouquet, however, is slightly more complicated." Smirking at the message Sumire was trying to get across, she gleefully swallowed another bite of chocolate._ It's about damn time._ "Five lavender roses and one white rose. The lavender roses symbolise majesty, enchantment, and deep adoration. They can also be used to tell someone that you're proceeding cautiously. The white rose, on the other hand, symbolises humility, purity, innocence, young love, truth, reverence, and loyalty. What our dear Sumire is trying to say here with all the lavender flowers is 'I adore you. You are enchanting.' Along with the fact that she's proceeding cautiously by telling you this with flowers instead of face to face. The single white rose can be taken to mean 'I'm not lying. I truly feel this way.' Or something like that."

Eyes wide, Lucia stared at the flowers in her hand, speechless. Cheeks enflamed, she cleared her throat slightly, thoughts in a jumble. "Sumire…" Blinking, Lucia was confused at the feelings Lola's words invoked in her. Her emotions a jumbled mess, she discarded her conflicting thoughts and tried to distance herself, uncomfortable with the foreignness of her feelings. "She probably just picked these because there weren't enough white ones left."

"Right. And I guess she was just being eccentric when she separated the roses into two vases instead of using the one large vase she usually uses." Lola replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Frowning, Lucia thought about that, unsuccessfully trying to take her mind off of the funny feeling in her stomach. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Lucia," Lola said, exasperated. "The amount of flowers in a bouquet is almost as important as their color. Two vases, six roses each, right?"

"Yes," Lucia stated hesitantly, the feeling in her stomach growing. _Anticipation…? That's absurd; this whole thing is absurd… _Despite her thoughts, Lucia couldn't help but hang on to Lola's every word.

"Six flowers in a bouquet sends a very clear message. In fact, Sumire basically just came out and said 'Lucia, I _like you_ like you'." Glancing at the second bouquet, Lola added, "'A lot'." Leaving Lucia to her thoughts, Lola mumbled under her breath as she exited the room. "I never thought I'd see the day where _Sumire_ was too subtle."

Stunned, Lucia stood alone in the room, frozen in front of the flowers. Slowly, her cheeks colored, mimicking the deep pink roses standing innocently in front of her.

_Oh._

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**A/N:** I kind of like this one, even though there isn't much Lucia/Sumire interaction. I apologise if I offended anyone with my bungled flower interpretation. I did a little research and applied my creative licence a bit for Lola's interpretations.


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